Andrea Blackett - file

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados

Olympic bronze medal winner Obadele Thompson headlines a strong Barbados track and field team named to compete in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 13 to 29.

The 31-year-old, who won a bronze in the men's 100 metres at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, is in a 13-member team named by the Barbados Olympic Association on Monday night.

Also in the team is another veteran, Andrea Blackett, who is a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 400 metres hurdles. She won a bronze medal at the 2003 Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo.

The surprise selection is Shakeera Reece, a sensational 18-year-old who shot to regional prominence earlier this year when she won the Under-20 100 metres gold medal at the CARIFTA Games.

Thompson, the island's most decorated athlete of all time, will be running at the Pan Am Games for the first time, even though he has been a professional for over a decade. He returned to the track in January after a year-long lay-off.

Thompson's first time

"It just never happened. I was either somewhere else on earth or injured whenever the Pan Am Games came up," he told reporters. "I'm excited to be going this time around and will be looking to see how I can help the other athletes in the team.

"Sometimes when our athletes go overseas, they can become a bit awe-struck and lose focus. I think I can help to keep the focused as well as deliver a medal of my own."

He will compete in the 200 metres as well as the men's 4 x 100 relay alongside former Olympian Wilan Louis, Andrew Hinds, a Central America and Caribbean medallist and highly touted teenager Ramon Gittens.

TEAM: Obadele Thompson, Andrea Blackett, Jade Bailey, Andrew Hinds, Janielle Brathwaite, Shernelle Nicholls, Shakeera Reece, Keisha Walkes, Stephen Jones, Ryan M Brathwaite, Wilan Louis, Sheena Gooding, Ramon Gittens.